International Conference on Antenna Theory and Techniques, 9-12 September, 2003, Seuastopol, Ukraine pp.

590-593

ULTRA WIDEBAND DOUBLE RIDGED HORNS WITH RECTANGULAR APERTURE

F. F. Dubrovka

,G. A. Yena ,P. Y. Stepanenko ,V. M. Tereschenko

Department of Theoretical Fundamentals of Radio Engineering, National technical university of Ukraine Kiev polytechnic institute, Kiev, Ukraine <dubrovka@tera.kiev.ua> State scientific research institute of radar systems, Kiev, Ukraine

Abstract
Mode matching technique that takes into account field singularities at the edges as well as method of integral equation and generalized scattering matrix method were applied for the development of mathematical model of double ridged horns with rectangular aperture. During the modeling inhomogeneous in longitudinal direction hum structure has been decomposed to the homogeneous pieces H- and rectangular waveguides. Design of ultra wideband doubled ridged horn with rectangular aperture developed for the frequency band 1-10 GHz and results of its experimental investigation are presented.
Keywords: wideband hum, double ridged hom, mode-matching technique

1. INTRODUCTION
Wideband antennas become more and more importaut as far as the complexity of radar, navigation and telecommunication systems arise. Double ridged horn antennas with rectangular aperture play here a special role, because they can provide different heamwidth in orthogonal planes of symmetry in working frequency band. This work is devoted to the development o f ultra wideband double ridged horn with rectangular a p e m e operating in the frequency hand from 1 to 10 GHz.

2. NUMERICAL MODEL, DESIGN, RESULTS OF EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATIONS

Development of considered ultra widehand waveguide antenna needs the propagation of only one (fundarnental) mode at the input port. Certainly, when this wave propagates through horn sttucture it is transformed. At the horn aperture the phase distribution of the tangential electric field should be corrected in order to achieve low sidelobe levels. The fulfillment of the first condition is achieved by the using of transmission line at the input port of antenna that can operate in wide frequency band. Hwaveguides are quit simple and technologically easy to manufacture (1/4Ihcross section is shown in Fig. I). The dimensions of cross-section are optimized in terms of providing good matching with 50 Ohm input coaxial transmission line and achieving required bandwidth of a single-mode operation. Optimal from the point of matching dimension ratios of Hwaveguide h / I ; 9 1 1 ; c / l have been found as a result of experimental investigations of horn feed. 0-7803-7881-4/03/$17.00 02003 IEEE.

The antenna geometry is fully depent from the type of input transmission line that is later expanded to a horn structure. Proposed technology consider pyramidal shape of the outer metal w a k a n d equal width of H-waveguide ridges. So double-ridged horn is in fact a transition from input H-waveguide to rectangular aperture. Smoothness of this transition defines levels of reflection coefficient of the whole antenna in a frequency band. Adequate mathematical model based on the rigorous electrodynamic methods are needed in order to obtain accurate characteristics. We have implemented a standard approach for the electrodynamic analysis that consists in decomposition of horn into uniform pieces of waveguides with constant cross sections. Than, as usualy done in mode-matching technique, we find and combine their generalized scattering matrixes to model the junction of waveguides with different cross-sections from the input port to the radiating aperture. Three-dimensional nature of discontinuities requires the implementation of numerical methods for the calculation of eigenwaves of connected H-waveguides. We

U
Fig. 1. H-waveguide cross-section

Ultra Wideband Double Ridged Horns with Rectangular Aperture

have used mode-matching technique and took into account field edge singularities [I]. Following [ l ] we have formulated and solved boundary problems for TEand TM-modes in H-waveguide, considering due to symmetry only 114" part of its cross-section (Fig. I). The method is simple from mathematical point of view hut occur to be numerically complicated because solutions of boundary problems contain Bessel functions of the first kind for fractional order from large arguments. This causes the development of computer program based on recursive procedure. The computational accuracy of Bessel function is not less than 10-12 digits in used range of argument changes. Next feature of the implementation of the mode matching technique with considering of field edge singularities here is the presence of nulls in the denominators of characteristic equations for cut-off mode numbers, that lead to the appearance of spurious roots io the spectrum of H-waveguide eigemodes. In order to solve characteristic equations and build numerical algorithm one should exclude the domains that are situated in the direct proximity to the singularity. The appearance of spurious roots can be absolutely avoided and the accuracy can be controlled by using functional for cut-off modenumbers 121. Right and left parts of them are equal only when only true eigenvalues of boundary problems are used. Found in this way cut-off modenumbers and eigenfunctions of H-waveguide have been used for the calculation of generalized scattering matrices of waveguide junctions. For this purpose the method of integral equation has been applied [3]. It resulted in a system of linear algebraic equations with the same matrix of coefficients for unknowns and a number of right parts, corresponded to the number of wave incident to the junction from lei? and right directions respectively [4]. This system of linear algebraic equations for the expaosioo coefficients of tangential electric fields at the coupling aperture can he rewritten as follows:

Fig. 2. Experimental test sample of the horn antenna (without dielectric lens)
3.5 3.3

vsm
b /
~

1'

'

'

Calculated
i
Measured

2.5 2.3 2.0

1.8

1.5
1.3

1.0

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1 2 3
4

IO

Fig. 3. VSWR of horn antenna

,6u2 is Kronecker of which fall it's eigenwaves, symbols; s is square of coupling aperture.
Here $") are coupling coefficients of eigenmodes of joint waveguides. They combine mathematical and physical models of waveguide structure that is inhomogeneous in longitudinal direction and are defined before solving of system of linear algebraic equations ( 1 ) . Substitution in (2) the expressions for the orthogonal normalized eigenfunctions of joint waveguides gives formulas for the coupling coefficients. Due to lack of the publication's volume they are not presented here. For estimation of the accuracy of boundary prohlem solution we performed the simulation of stepped transition between rectangular and H-waveguides. Its numerical results were compared with data [ 5 ] where good agreement was obtained. Step-by-step combining of generalised scattering matrices of separate junctions and pieces of homogeneous waveguides from the input port of horn forward to the radiating aperture gives the generalized scattering mahix of the whole inhomogeneous in longitudinal direction structure that approximate examined hom. First column of matrix contains the amplitudes of modes that form the tangential field at the radiating aperture, Together with formulas [6] they have been used for the calculation of radiated fields in the far zone. 591

=
11

2[6ullYpm6"p~wL + 6,2Yq.?lP1

= 1 . w = 1,2)...,I 1 ; u= 2 , u = 1,2,...,I,; w = l , p = l , m = 1,2,..., MI; .w= l , p = 2,m = 4 2,..., M , ; w = 2,q = l,n = 1,2,..., N I ; w = 2,q = 2,n = 4 2,...,N z ;

and V,,, are orthogonal normalized vector and eigenfunctions of lei? and right waveguides; q,% where
yuj

are modal

admittances

of eigenfunctions;

1,2,...,Ilj ; j = 1,2,...,J , ; I,, , J , are numbers of considered in decomposition waves of magnetic ( p, U = 1) and electric ( p, Y = 2 ) types taken into account; w = 1,2 is number of waveguide, from side

International Conference on Antenna Theory and Techniques, 9-12 September, 2003, Sevastopol, Ukraine

E E Dubrovka, G.A. Yena, I ? Y Stepanenko, V. M. Tereschenko

0 -2 -4
-6

-8
-10

-12
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-4

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-100-80 -60 4 0 -20

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Fig. 4. Radiation patterns at 2 GHz

Fig. 6 . Radiation patterns at 7 GHz wideband antenna that capable to operate in fiequency band from 1 GHz to 10 GHz. The results of numerical simulations were used for the manufacturing of test sample of horn antenna, seen in Fig. 2. The configuration of dielectric lens, used for the phase correction of field at the aperture were optimized experimentally. In Fig. 3 measured and calculated frequency responses of voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) of horn antenna are shown. Good agreement between theory and experiment up to the frequency of 7 GHz is achieved. Increasing levels of VSWR for the upper frequencies are connected with finite levels of VSWR of horns feed and coaxial connector. The radiation patterns of double ridged horn are shown in Figs. &6. Here also good agreement hetween theory and experiment has been achieved for the both planes of radiation patterns.

-xr-xn
0 -2
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3. CONCLUSION
The mathematical model of an ultra wideband double ridged horn antenna with rectangular aperture has been developed. It is based on a generalized scattering matrix and mode matching techniques that take into account field edge singularity. A test sample of the antenna has been manufactured and measured. Theoretical and experimental investigations prove its capability to operate in the frequency hand from 1 GHz to 10 GHz providing electrodynamic parameters that meet modern requirements of practice.

-28
-30

-32
-34 -36

-38

, . . . - 1 0 0 4 0 -60 110 -20

. 0

, . . . 20 40 60 80 100

Fig. 5. Radiation patterns at 4 GHz

Presented approach was used for development of computer program for the calculation of electrodynamic characteristics of the double-ridged horn with rectangular aperture. It was used for the design of ultra
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lnternadonal Conference on Antenna Theory and Techniques, 9-12 September, 2003, Sevastopol, Ukraine

Ultra Widiband Double Ridged Horns with Rectangular Aperture

REFERENCES
1. Waveguides w i t h c o q l e x crosssection I G. F. Zargano, V. P. Ljapin, V. S. Mihalevsky et al.- Moscow: Radio I svjaz, 1986.- 124 pp. (in Russian) 2. Mors F. M., Feshbah G. Methods of theoretical

physics. V.2 I Trans. from English. - Moscow: Foreign Literature Press, 1960. - 886 pp. (in Russian) 3. Computational techniques in electrodynamics I Edited by R. Miha- M.: MU, 1977.- 488 pp. (in Russian)

4 Dubrovka F. F., Stepanenko P. Y . Mathematical model of axisymmetric coaxial horn antenna 11 Radiotehnika i e1ektronika.- 1992.- No. 12.P. 2168-2174. (in Russian). 5 Bornemann J., Amdt F. Modal-S-matrix design of optimum stepped ridged and finned waveguide transformers /I IEEE Trans. Microwave Theory Tech. - 1987. -V. MTT-35, N? 6. - p . 561-567. 6 Kark K. Strahlungseigenschaften des rechteclugen Rillenhorns /I Frequenz- 1993.- N? 3 - 4.- P.9&96.

International Conference on Antenna Theory and Techniques, 9-12 September, 2003, Sevastopol, Ukraine

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